Also known as: Victoria Nyanza, Victoria Ukerewe, Victoria Nalubaale
Lake Victoria -- also known as Victoria Nyanza, Ukerewe, and Nalubaale -- rakes in the superlatives: it is the largest lake on the African continent by surface area, the largest tropical lake in the world, and the second largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area. Joined by five others, Lake ...

Located in the Western Great Rift Valley of Africa, the crystal clear water of Lake Tanganyika reaches across four countries - Burundi, Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Tanzania. Stretching 420 miles, this lake is the longest freshwater lake in the world and has a maximum width of 31 miles ...

Also known as: Lake Nyasa, Lake Nyassa, Lake Niassa, Lago Niassa
Located in the East African Rift Valley system between Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania, Lake Malawi -- also known as Lake Nyasa, Lake Nyassa, Lake Niassa, and Lago Niassa -- is the third-largest lake in Africa at over 7,314,319 acres. It also has the distinction of being the second deepest lake in Africa ...

Also known as: Lac Kivu
Lake Kivu is one of the youngest of the African Great Lakes. Located in the Rift Valley, Lake Kivu is thought to be only 15,000 years old. Forming part of the border between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the lake formed during the Pleistocene Era when volcanic events in the Virunga ...